Charles H. Perrine ’62

Charles H. Perrine ’62 died on May 7, 2022, in Brandon, Florida.

(The following was provided by his family on May 7, 2022)

Charles (Chuck) Henry Perrine, Army colonel, retired, born June 1, 1940, in Bryn Mawr, PA, died in Brandon, FL, May 7, 2022. Preceded in death are his parents, Katherine Ida (Barber) Perrine and Robert Kirby Perrine, and by his beloved sister, Elaine (Perrine) Lent. He is survived by his wife, Judith Surfus Perrine, sister Barbara Tackett, daughters Eleanor Mills Wehner and Sarah (Sally) Elizabeth Perrine, sons-in-law Jonathan Henry Wehner Sr. and Gary William Hunter, and stepson, Jesse Travis Pearson, and his wife, Reenia Evelyn Pearson. Grandchildren are Jonathan Henry Wehner Jr., William Ross Wehner, Lydia Mills Wehner, Ashley Lynn Pearson, and Lily Ann Pearson.

As an infant, Chuck moved to Keeseville, NY, with his mother and sisters, to live on the farm, with his grandparents, while his father served in WWII. Chuck was almost five, when he saw his father again. The family moved to Evanston, IL, then to Bala Cynwyd, PA. Chuck attended Lower Marion High School, where he managed the baseball team and graduated with honors. He then attended Bowdoin College, in Maine, majoring in mathematics, while active in the Sigma Nu Fraternity and Army ROTC. Chuck also earned a master’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in public administration, both from Penn State University.

In 1962, Chuck was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the United States Army, with his first assignment in Amberg, Germany. Chuck went on to Vilseck, Germany, then to Nha Trang, Vietnam, where he served as maintenance officer in V area Logistics Command. In contrast, Chuck, next, became a professor of mathematics at West Point, where he also coached lacrosse. There were more Army assignments in Germany, all along the Rhine (Mannheim, Germersheim and Karlsrluhe), where Chuck was instrumental in our efforts to win the Cold War. Chuck graduated from the U.S. Army War College in 1986 and went on to command productivity and maintenance at Letterkenny Army Depot in Chambersburg, PA, for four years. Chuck received several prestigious military honors, including the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Following his military service, Chuck served as a financial analyst for the State of Pennsylvania Legislative, Budget and Finance Committee for twelve years where he was team leader for fieldwork audits of the Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission, Pennsylvania Assisted Living Services, and more.

Chuck was a lifelong fly tier and fisherman, starting an early age with his grandfather and father. He spent many summer weeks in Vermont and northern New York. A lover of the outdoors, Chuck kayaked, canoed, and loved riding his Harleys in the mountains. Every day, he counted himself lucky, and blessed, to have had wonderful parents, a wonderful family, and a home with good friends near-by, on the beautiful Yellow Breeches trout stream in Pennsylvania. He was a patron of the arts, collecting carvings and paintings of local artists. He was also a tireless student of history. Chuck gave the best tours of the Gettysburg Battlefield and treasured his visits to Normandy and Verdun. Baseball was another passion, resonating his Little League years, as a catcher. Church was always important to Chuck, with chapel every day during his years at Bowdoin, and later attending First United Church of Christ in Carlisle. Chuck devoted ten years to Samaritan Fellowship, helping to provide emergency services for Carlisle-area people. He also served with CARES, ministering to the homeless, and Todd Baird Lindsey, providing help to the elderly population, for independence. You may have seen Chuck at “Salamandra’s Wood Fired Pizza” restaurant in the early 2000s, as he stocked the fuel or made bread dough at Sally’s restaurant, or in Machipongo, VA, pruning the vines at Chatham Vineyards, Millie’s winery. He also worked out for thirty-five years at the Carlisle YMCA, swimming miles and miles with Judy, in his last few years.

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